Amortentia's Truth
by NephilimEQ
Summary: A little potions accident and several incidences later has some interesting consequences for Severus Snape and Hermione Granger... R&R! RERATED M
1. Potion Memories

**Chapter 1 - Potion Memories**

"Now, as I was saying, I prepared some concoctions this morning. Any ideas as to what these might be?"

Hermione could barely believe her eyes. No…no, it couldn't be. She leaned in a bit…yes, it was. Her hand shot up and Professor Slughorn looked at her with a curious look.

"Yes, Miss…?"

"Granger, sir."

He nodded and she explained. "That one there is Veritaserum, a truth telling serum. And that one's Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world. It's rumored to smell differently to each person, according to what attracts them. For example, I smell freshly mown grass and new parchment…spearmint toothpaste…"

She was suddenly flooded with a memory of the beginning of that summer just before leaving Grimmauld Place. She had gone to get her toiletries from the bathroom so that she could pack them away, but instead had been greeted with a sight that would be forever seared in her memory…

_There was Severus Snape, standing at the sink wearing black jeans that were unbuttoned and an open and un-tucked black dress shirt. He was in the middle of brushing his teeth, and she stood there in shock._

_She had always assumed, wrongly she could now see, that he wasn't all that attractive…but this sight, oh gods, this sight proved otherwise._

_His eyes suddenly snapped up at the unexpected sound of the bathroom door opening and their eyes met. Hermione stood there gaping, not a single sound passing her lips although her mind was pleading with her to come up with _some_thing. He glared at her, but unable to speak at that moment as his toothbrush was in his mouth. _

_Suddenly, in a few lightning fast movements, he pulled out the toothbrush, spat into the sink, and then turned on her, whipping out his wand with his empty hand from…no, it couldn't be…his back pocket? How many times had he warned all of his students that leaving a wand there was asking for trouble, that too many magical accidents had happened from witches and wizards accidentally hexing their own buttocks off?_

_Still, she found herself utterly at his mercy…and a brief thrill of excitement ran through her, a reaction that she didn't care to analyze too closely._

"_What…are…you doing _here_, Miss Granger?"_

_Every word was filled with an almost dangerous inflection, and Hermione knew that if she gave him an answer that he didn't approve of, she would be in _big_ trouble. Oh dear, oh dear…how was she going to get out of this one?_

"_I-I was just…g-getting my things, P-Professor…" _

_She motioned towards what should have been where her toothbrush lay, but then realized that the one that he was using was her own. He was using _her_ toothbrush! How dare he!_

_He looked down at the toothbrush in his other hand, as though aware of the fact that she was staring at it. He lifted it up towards her, an odd look on his face. _

"_Is this yours?" _

_She nodded and then blushed as she realized the full implications of the situation that they were in. Here he was, half-dressed, and holding his wand towards her…and suddenly she remembered that all she was wearing was her underwear with her flimsy robe that had been hastily and carelessly thrown over it, as she was planning on changing later in this very bathroom._

_She could feel her blush deepen, so she dropped her eyes, completely unaware of the fact that he was now lowering his wand, casting a quick cleansing charm on the toothbrush and then walking towards her._

_She suddenly looked at up at the faint feel of heat coming off of his body from his proximity to her. Hermione stared at him, frozen as he placed her toothbrush on the counter just to his right, and then looked at her, almost apologetically. And then she heard the words…_

"_My apologies, Miss Granger. I've had…a _long_ night, and was merely cleaning up after…shall we say, some activities of a sort?"_

_She finally snapped out of it, and then realized that he was talking about the Death Eater meeting that he'd left for yesterday afternoon. She'd been certain, though, that he'd be gone for several days, as was his usual pattern. He avoided coming back to the Order's headquarters because of the fact that it was Sirius' house…or so she assumed._

_He gave her a look that she couldn't quite decipher, and she was suddenly extremely self-conscious. She wrapped her robe more tightly around her, even though it already covered her completely, paranoid that he might know and be utterly mortified at being in such a situation with a student. Her hand unconsciously went to her hair, smoothing it down and attempting, though failing, to tame her tangled mass of curls._

_He took a step forward, putting him uncomfortably close and she glared at him. "Sir?"_

_He motioned towards the door behind her. "I would like to leave the lavatory, if you don't mind, Miss Granger? Or are you planning on keeping me captive until you've recovered your senses? Because if that is the case, then I fear I will be stuck here for the next century."_

_His last words were biting and she tried not to show her hurt, instead lifting her head and glaring at him defiantly._

"_It's not a problem…Sir."_

_With that, she moved to the side, but the bathroom was so narrow that he still brushed by her as he made to leave the bathroom, and the scent of spearmint suddenly filled her nostrils as he had partially turned and his breath had brushed against her neck and cheek._

_As soon as he was gone, she let out a deep, shaky sigh, and was suddenly aware that her sides hurt slightly, as though she had been holding her breath throughout their entire altercation. She wouldn't be surprised if she had. It had been one of the most intense moments in her life. And as she began to put her few things into her bag, she suddenly realized at how dangerous it had been as well. She had been staring at the business of a wand of one of the most powerful wizards in all of Britain. She was lucky that he hadn't hexed her on the spot._

_After she got dressed, she stood in the bathroom, reliving the moment. Something had happened…something that she'd avoided thinking of when he'd been there, but something _had _happened. When she'd seen him half-dressed…when his breath had brushed against her._

_Hermione took a moment to analyze the feeling. It had been the same both times. It had a faint similarity to what she'd felt when she'd first seen Viktor at the ball…no._

_She shook her head trying to deny the feeling. No, no, no. This could _not_ be happening. He…He was her _professor_, for goodness sake! But…it was what it was, and she couldn't deny it. She was attracted to him. _Very_ attracted to him. It had much stronger than what she'd felt towards Viktor. It had been…intense. No, that was too weak a word._

_It had been…she just couldn't think of a word for it…_

The memory flooded through her at once as she smelled the potion, and she quickly pulled back at some snickers that she could hear coming from the back of the group.

She dared not look anyone in the eye afterwards, _especially_ not Harry or Ron. They would immediately know that something was up, but she took no chances. She suddenly realized that there was another memory associated with toothpaste, and it involved Ron, but that was not the first memory that had surfaced, so she assumed that the potion triggered the memories that were associated with the person she was actually attracted to.

She didn't want to dwell on the thought, but then her mind drifted to the other memories that had surfaced but had been suppressed by the sheer strength of her particular memory of being with Snape that particular time.

During the first class of fifth year… _Pulling out new parchment at the beginning of his lecture, barely able to contain the butterflies in her stomach at the idea that she was having the chance to listen to his voice for a whole hour. His velvety, chocolate tones washing over her as she wrote across the clean parchment, all of her senses seemingly heightened and drugged at the same time, making her wonderfully confused as her hand wrote on automatic._

During the first game of fifth year… _She could smell the freshly cut grass of the Quidditch pitch and barely breathed as he brushed by her, his cloak briefly intermingling with her own as he made his way to the teacher's box. He was like a strong breeze across the grounds, and her body had an almost physical reaction to the smells that he stirred up in his wake. Grass, grass, and more grass…it was wonderful…_

She inwardly groaned. She couldn't escape him, no matter what. She cast a lingering gaze towards the cauldron, and for a moment, only a moment, she briefly wondered what he smelled when he was near it. Did he smell her perfume? The ink that was almost permanently stained on her fingers from writing for hours on end? No…that was merely wishful thinking.

Hermione sighed. She would simply have to let things be…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 1?**


	2. Slip of the Mind

**Chapter 2 - Slip of the Mind**

Severus Snape walked into the dungeons, briefly noting that Slughorn had not put away the potions yet. He rolled his eyes at the man's laziness. He was probably still enjoying his dinner, which, in his case, could take hours.

He glanced at the potions and huffed. They were dangerous and should not be left out. He flicked his wand and the Veritaserum immediately began magically siphoning itself off into the empty vials that sat in the supplies cabinet. No telling what might happen should a student get their hands on _that_ particular potion.

His thoughts briefly turned to some of the potions that he had Miss Granger working on, some of them quite advanced, and smirked to himself.

She should be proud that she had been able to get an apprenticeship with him before she was even out of school. She was the only person, besides maybe Leslie Wright in Slytherin, whom he would even _consider_ taking on as an apprentice.

He turned himself towards the other potion and he was suddenly hit with scents that overwhelmed him. Blackthorn, ink, and…no, it couldn't be…sandalwood?

The memory that hit him strongest was the sandalwood. He had come back early in the morning from a Death Eater meeting, something which _never_ happened, but it had been an extremely trying night. The Dark Lord had apparently not been in a good mood, and the word "crucio" had passed his lips as soon as Severus had passed through the front doors.

He had gone to the first place that he could think of that was closest, and had ended up at Grimmauld Place. He remembered stumbling up the stairs, stripping off his robes, trying to find something else to wear that didn't smell like blood. He had poured through the closets and found a pair of black jeans that had probably been left by Lupin, as they were a favorite Muggle clothing of his…which was lucky, as they were about the same size…

_He grabbed the jeans, and a shirt that lay discarded on the closet floor, and then headed towards the bathroom. A shower…yes, that's exactly what he needed. That would make all of the difference. He pulled his aching body into the shower relishing the feel of, at the same time wincing at the water that beat against his back and shoulders._

_As Severus rolled his shoulders, easing the inward aching, a faint smell reached his sensitive nose. It was earthy…but light. It was sandalwood. Not exactly a scent that was bad, but not one to be expected._

_None of the men in the house that he knew of would dare use something so…so un-masculine. Though, he had to admit, he enjoyed it. But none of the women he knew would ever wear something so simple. They all wore flowery, over-the-top scents that could clog up a room faster than any potion vapors. This was rather unique…but not worth his time to ponder on. He quickly put it to the side and instead focused on his shower._

_He quickly finished and stepped out, pulling on the jeans, although somewhat awkwardly as he was not accustomed to wearing Muggle clothing, especially not jeans._

_After pulling the black shirt on, he looked towards the sink for anything to brush his teeth with. He could just use a cleansing charm on his teeth, but they never felt as fresh as when you used an actual toothbrush and toothpaste. He'd never fully gotten out of the habit that he'd learned when he was younger, growing up in a half-Muggle home._

_To his surprise, a toothbrush sat there on the counter. Not wanting to take any chances, he cast a quick cleansing charm on the toothbrush and then reached for the toothpaste that was also sitting on the counter right next to it. He began to brush his teeth, and for a moment, he thought that he heard a noise. He lifted his head, but the sound ceased. He gave a mental shrug and went back to brushing his teeth. He absentmindedly fingered his wand in his back pocket with his free hand and then placed his hand back on the counter._

_Suddenly he was aware of the door opening. He looked up to see Hermione Granger standing in the doorway, wearing a robe and holding a small bag in her hand. She was frozen on the spot, and he stared for a second before pulling out the toothbrush and whipping out his wand, briefly remembering to spit into the sink._

"_What…are…you doing _here_, Miss Granger?"_

_She was still frozen, but soon found words to respond to him. "I-I was just…g-getting my things, P-Professor…" Severus was unsure as to what she was talking about, but then he remembered the toothbrush that was, at the moment, still resting in his hand. It was now obvious that it must have been hers._

_He lifted his hand towards her, the toothbrush still in it. "Is this yours?"_

_She nodded, and he watched in confusion as her face slowly turned red. Why she was reacting in such a way, he did not know, but it made him slightly aware of the fact that even though his jeans were zippered, he had not buttoned them…and his shirt was still open._

_Her eyes dropped, and he slowly lowered his wand, suddenly aware of the awkward situation they were in. Even if they hadn't been teacher and student, the situation would have been awkward…their status merely made things worse. He used his years of training as a spy to not react and simply act as though nothing were amiss. He cast a quick cleansing charm on the toothbrush and then began to walk towards her to return it to her._

_Her eyes suddenly snapped up as he approached and he saw the surprise in them. She remained in her petrified state as he placed the toothbrush on the counter next to the sink, and he continued to carefully watch her as an odd feeling came across him…was it?...no, it couldn't be…but it was. He felt sorry for what he'd done. Well, there was no time like the present…_

_He picked his words carefully. "My apologies, Miss Granger. I've had…a _long_ night, and was merely cleaning up after…shall we say, some activities of a sort?"_

_Severus hoped his words had the desired effect, but he remained unsure as she stood there, completely silent. She hadn't spoken a word for a while, and he briefly wondered what she was thinking of, and then his mind drifted to the fact that she was wearing a robe…and he was barely dressed. His hands itched to reach for the button on his trousers and his fingers were dying to twitch his wand and have his shirt fastened as well. But he withheld…he had to seem unaffected._

_He watched with curiosity as she tightened the belt of her robe and pulled the sides of it even tighter than before. Her hand reached up and he watched with inward amusement at the fact that she was attempting to tame her untamed hair._

_He suddenly realized what he was doing and stepped forward to try and leave, but she glared at him. _

"_Sir?"_

_He bit his tongue, at first debating whether or not to let his biting remark fly, and decided it would be best. "I would like to leave the lavatory, if you don't mind, Miss Granger? Or are you planning on keeping me captive until you've recovered your senses? Because if that is the case, then I fear I will be stuck here for the next century."_

_He waited for Hermione's eyes to drop, but instead he watched with some inward admiration as instead she tightened her jaw and lifted her eyes to his, openly taking him on, defying him in the only way that she could without being entirely disrespectful._

"_It's not a problem…Sir."_

_She moved to the side as far as she could, but he immediately realized that it would be impossible to not brush against her. The bathroom was too narrow, and the door wasn't open very far. He had no other choice in the matter._

_He didn't hesitate however, and slid right by her. He was taller than her, and because he was, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the scent of sandalwood, which he then realized came from her hair…_she_ had been the last person to use the shower. Luckily he had already passed by and was no longer in physical contact with her as this thought lead to an embarrassing reaction on his part, one that was particularly male._

_She had been the last in the shower…unbidden, an image of his student in the shower popped into his head. No…no. He shook his head, banishing the image from his errant thoughts. He was not going to put up with his mind wandering in such a manner._

_In the back of his mind, however, something quickly saved and filed away the image and the feelings that came with it…_

He managed to break out of the memory that overwhelmed him, and he gave the cauldron a cautionary look.

It was obvious that he was going to have to particularly cautious with this potion from now on. It was arousing feelings that shouldn't be there…_but of course_, something in the back of his head whispered, _it only works on pre-existing emotions…_

Severus realized that the one strong memory had been suppressing the other two memories that were associated with the other two scents that had assaulted him as well. As he cleaned up another potion, one that was _not_ the Amortentia, he let his thoughts linger briefly on the memories, savoring them for a few secretive moments. No one had to know the thoughts that ran through his head…he was adept enough at Occlumency that he didn't have to worry about the Dark Lord seeing these thoughts.

Ink… _It was his first lecture of the semester for his fifth year potions' students. He stood in front and watched the students scrambling for quill, ink, and parchment. His eyes caught on Miss Granger as she carefully pulled out fresh parchment and a brand new ink well. As she dipped her tawny colored quill into the seemingly black ink, he caught a brief shimmer of color in the ink. Green. The smell seemed amplified at that moment. He watched for a moment longer as she seemed to almost reverently write down each word, as though they actually _meant_ something to her…and then he snapped back to his memorized lecture…_

Blackthorn... _It was the first Quidditch match of the season and Draco was playing. He knew that Lucius would be quite put out if the boy's own godfather wasn't there to support him. Severus loathed going to the matches, but he needed to stay on the Malfoys' good sides. As he strode across the lawn, he could smell the blackthorn trees as they were in full bloom…and then he brushed by Miss Granger. He realized that he had passed by her a little too closely, but now the scent of the blackthorn and the sight of her were ingrained in his mind as he continued to the teachers' section of the Quidditch stands for the game, forcing himself to not look back…_

He pulled himself out of the other memories that had surfaced, slightly ashamed that he had let himself indulge in mere memory. Memory was memory. It was past and nothing could change it, no matter how one tried.

Just before he cleaned up the potion, he gave it a long look…and he wondered.

What was it that she smelled? Did she smell potions' ingredients from a supply cupboard? Or did she smell parchment from spending hours bent over not only her own, but other's work as well, as she attempted to help her two idiot friends who took shameless advantage of her brilliant mind? Did she smell something that might remind her of him…?

Severus quickly destroyed that idea as soon as it surfaced in his head, and then with a flick of his wrist the potion was gone…except for a small vial that mysteriously found its' way into his voluminous robes and another that was put onto Slughorn's desk. It was a small vial of the Veritaserum that he'd vanished earlier, and he left it there, clearly distracted as he walked out of the room.

He couldn't be entertaining such thoughts of her, _especially_ as she was his apprentice. They worked together, alone, in the evenings and on weekends, and such thoughts were dangerous.

_Very_ dangerous.

His mind flitted to the potion that was in his robes.

It merited further study…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 2?**


	3. Misguided Hands

**Chapter 3 - Misguided Hands**

Ronald Weasley headed towards the dungeons. He didn't want to, but he had no choice. He realized just as he was about to start his homework that he'd left his potions book in the room. He was about to open the door when he heard a sound. He did _not_ want to run into a professor, so he ducked around the corner.

Just in time, as soon as he was hidden, the classroom door opened and out stepped Professor Snape.

_Oh, thank Merlin_, was the only thought in Ron's mind as the man vanished down the hallway. The redhead slipped into the classroom, quickly finding his bag, and then turned to leave…and that was when he saw it. It was a small vial sitting on Slughorn's desk.

It wouldn't hurt to look.

He picked it up and tried to see if he could identify it by color. Nope. He glanced around, knowing that what he was about to do was not the best of ideas, but went ahead with it anyway. He un-stoppered the vial and smelled it. Huh…no scent. He looked at the color again…and then he remembered.

For once, he realized that he actually remembered something from class.

It was Veritaserum.

He was surprised that it had been left on the desk. Should he take it? He briefly thought about it, knowing that he shouldn't, but then he remembered what had happened earlier in the day. And that was when it hit him. Hermione had identified the Amortentia potion earlier in the day in Potions. She had smelled spearmint…and that was something that they could both remember and relate to.

When they'd almost kissed over the summer, it had been right after he'd brushed his teeth. It was a very vivid memory for him. She _liked_ him! It was the only explanation.

He huffed to himself. Not that she'd admit it in a million years…and then his eyes drifted to the potion.

He grinned. He'd smelled spearmint earlier that day when he'd been near the Amortentia…and so did she. He looked at the vial in his hand, and back towards the open door. No one would even notice.

As he walked out the door, he lovingly patted his pocket, reassured that by this time tomorrow, she would be declaring her love for him and everyone else to know…

* * *

><p>Ron made sure to get to breakfast before Hermione, but he was barely able to make it there on time, leaving him no time to put the truth serum into any of her food or drink. Great! Just what he needed, a missed opportunity.<p>

He watched and listened carefully to the conversation, unable to join in most of the time as he had food in his mouth.

But then Harry said…

"Why don't we go to the Three Broomsticks tonight? You know, just the three of us? It's been a while since we've done anything with just each other."

He gave them both a grin, and Ron realized that he was right. It _had_ been a long time. He smiled, but not for the reason that they suspected. It was perfect…he could get Hermione's drink for her and spike it then. And then, when all three of them were comfortable and chatting away, he could just throw out his question and let the happy consequences follow when they declared their love for one another.

Hermione nodded at Harry's request. "Yes, that does sound like a good idea, doesn't it? But we'll have to wait until eight…I have some quick changes that I have to make to my project that I'm working on with Professor Snape. I think that it will be good enough to advance me to Masters Level potions."

Ron rolled his eyes. Luckily, that should be something that he could talk her out of. Once she eventually became a Weasley, she would learn that studies weren't all that important.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 3?**


	4. Slip of the Fingers

**Chapter 4 - Slip of the Fingers **

Later that evening, Harry settled both himself and Ron at a table, making sure to save a seat for Hermione. Ron immediately stood and headed over to get drinks.

"Hello, Rosmerta," he said as charmingly as possible, flashing her, what he believed to be, a dashing smile. She gave him a smile in return and knowingly grabbed three glasses from the shelf and began to fill them with butterbeer. After a moment, she placed them in front of him with a grin.

"Thanks, Rosmerta…" He reached for his pocket and then gave a sheepish grin. "Harry's treating Hermione and me tonight, so I guess he'll be paying."

With that, she gave him a reproachful look and he ducked his head in some semblance of embarrassment.

As soon as she'd turned, he pulled out the vial, not noticing another drink being placed on the counter right next to Hermione's drink. Just as he started to pour the Veritaserum, someone bumped his elbow and it went into both her drink and the drink next to it.

'Oops,' he thought, but then shrugged. So, who cared? So someone would be a little bit more truthful than usual. He glanced at the drink. Considering that the other drink was a Firewhiskey, they would probably just blame it all on the alcohol…which is what he hoped that Hermione would attribute her little bout of truthfulness to as well. He smiled to himself as he walked over to their table, noticing that Hermione had arrived.

He had made sure to keep her drink on his left at all times, so he put the drink in front of her, knowing that she would be spilling her guts in no time at all.

He watched with a small smile on his face as she took a drink and then he sat back in his chair to make himself comfortable. As he leaned back, he heard one of the waitresses' voices as she delivered some drinks to a nearby table.

"Alright then…that's a mulled mead for Septima, a Red-Currant Rum for Minerva, and, of course, Firewhiskey for Severus."

Ron nearly spit out the sip of Butterbeer that he had in his mouth. Severus? As in Professor Snape? He chanced a quick glance over to the table in question and inwardly groaned as he saw Snape sitting with professors McGonagall and Vector. He was a dead-man.

He slunk deeper into his seat, his plan for Hermione almost forgotten in the complete and utter fiasco that he found himself in at that very moment. He was sure that Professor Snape would know immediately what had happened. He was a Potions Master, for the love of Merlin! The effects would only be utterly obvious to him…and then he saw his plan crumble. If he could recognize its' effects…then so could Hermione. He silently groaned. He was most _certainly_ dead.

"So," asked Harry conversationally. "What kind of project are you working on?"

Hermione's eyes lit up at the question. "Oh, it's utterly fascinating! I'm trying to create a way to combine Arithmancy and Potions so that you could create a potion similar to Felix Felicis, but instead have it work so that it would allow the drinker to actually_ see_ their choices and the possible effects of them on other people. This would allow them to see the consequences of their…"

Her voice drifted as her eyes lit upon the table where the three teachers sat. "Harry, I just remembered, I have to ask Professor Vector If I can use her own work in proving my thesis. Can you do without my company for a few moments?"

Harry nodded, and she left the table.

Ron looked up in surprise as she left the table, having tuned out the last few moments from being in complete and utter shock at his situation.

"Oi, Hermione! Where you going?" At his outburst, she cast him a look that almost seemed worried.

"I just said that I had to talk to Professor Vector for a moment, Ron. Are you alright?"

He looked flushed, and Hermione briefly wondered why he seemed distracted, but then he suddenly bolted from his chair.

"No! You can't go over there!"

She exchanged a confused look with Harry at the strangeness of their friend's behavior and then turned back towards Ron. "And why not, Ronald? What reason should prevent me from going over there and talking to my professor?"

He wracked his brain and blurted out the first thing that came to his thoughts. "Because Snape's over there!"

She glared at him, obviously not pleased with his reason.

"That's _Professor_ Snape, Ronald. And what should that matter? I happen to know for a fact that he can be very civil, in fact almost cordial, in a public setting. He's close friends with both Professors McGonagall and Vector."

Hermione gave him a pointed look, and his mind frantically scrambled to find another explanation that wouldn't implicate him. However, that left him stuttering and floundering, while his female friend continued to stare at him, tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for a decent reason as to why she shouldn't go over to talk to her professor. He was unable to come up with anything, and instead dropped his head and averted his eyes as she left the table in a huff to go talk to her professor.

Harry gave him a look. "Are you _sure_ that you're alright, Ron?"

Ron shook his head, not bothering to clarify that the reason why he was shaking head was from utter humiliation at what was about to occur. She was going to inadvertently tell Snape, _somehow_, he just knew it, that she liked Ronald Weasley. That was _not_ what he'd had planned!

Hermione, however, was now blissfully unaware of what was going on behind her and had started a quick conversation with Professor Vector.

"Are you sure that you don't mind, professor?"

Septima shook her head, giving her favorite student a winning smile. "Of course not, Hermione, dear! Anything to help you move further along in your research!"

With that, she turned towards Minerva and Severus, the mead loosening her tongue a bit. Minerva watched with a pleased smile on her face as Professor Vector fell victim to the effects of the alcohol, which was rather amusing on her colleague's delicate physical disposition. Septima was most certainly a lightweight when it came to holding her drink.

"Did you know that Miss Granger here has devised a brilliant way to incorporate Arithmancy and Potions? It's brilliant I tell you! I wish that I'd thought of it years ago, but of course, Hermione _is_ one of the absolute brightest to ever attend Hogwarts! You said so yourself, Severus, just the other day to the Headmaster, isn't that right?"

Hermione looked up at Professor Snape in shock. "Sir…did you really, um, say that?"

Minerva glanced over at Severus, fully expecting him to deny every word, as was his nature, and she saw him begin to tense up. She braced herself for the words that were about to come from his lips, because, knowing him, they would be none too gentle.

He let out a breath of air and said, to everyone's astonishment… "Yes, Miss Granger, I most certainly did."

Hermione looked on in shock, as did the other two women at the table. Severus himself seemed to be surprised as well, as though not expecting those particular words to fall from his lips. At that, he tightened his jaw and resolutely focused on the Firewhiskey in front of him, decidedly not looking at any of the three women.

Minerva reached over, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Severus, are you alright?"

He shrugged her hand off, obviously not wanting to talk, but the words came anyway. "No, woman, I'm not alright! In fact, I am decidedly uncomfortable at the moment!"

Septima gave him a blurry glance, her head tilting at an odd angle, as though she was trying to figure something out. She then lifted her drink to her lips, taking a deep swallow, and then let the drink hit the table with a loud thud that made everyone twitch.

"Why you un…uncomf…not comfy, Sev'rus?" she said, her words slurring together and letting everyone know just how drunk she was.

Again, he answered without wanting to. "I'm uncomfortable because I'm sitting at the same table with someone that I care too much for, and shouldn't, because she's my apprentice!"

At that statement, _every_one looked at him in shock. Hermione brought her hand to her mouth, not quite believing what she'd just heard him say. Of course, caring too much could mean almost anything, but added to the fact that he thought it was wrong _because_ she was a student, implied that he meant something quite personal.

Although everyone seemed quite silent and utterly shocked, a small smirk was just barely managing to stay hidden on Minerva's face. This was almost too rich! It was even better than she'd hoped would happen. Of course, she'd had a plan in mind for quite a while, but it seemed as though someone beat her to the punch.

Minerva had been closely observing her colleague since he'd taken on Hermione as an apprentice and had seen a change in the taciturn man.

She had observed that his mood changed from downright dismal to only mildly gloomy whenever the young woman was around and she realized that he would glance at Miss Granger during meals, though she was fairly certain that he wasn't consciously aware of what he was doing.

Minerva glanced around the room and saw Harry and Ron on the other side of the room, and Ron was looking absolutely miserable, slunk down in his chair as though wishing the world would swallow him at that moment.

Ahhh…a spell gone wrong, perhaps? Well, it didn't matter…so long as things worked out in the end.

She watched as Hermione was still processing what he'd just said. "Did you…did you just say-?"

He cut her off. "Yes, you impertinent woman, I did! Now, leave me alone!"

Minerva hit his shoulder with her hand, not quite believing the way that he was acting. He could at least be civil to the girl! "Now, Severus! I can't believe you're behaving in such a manner! She is one of your students, after all, and your apprentice…show some manners!"

He glared at her in response, obviously not amused. He knew that there was something wrong because he was unable to keep from speaking his mind. Then it hit him…Veritaserum. Someone had used truth serum on him…a very strong one in fact. He discreetly glanced around the room, hoping to spot the perpetrator, but in his experience they usually left the scene of the crime, so to speak. But then his eyes lit upon a head of red hair sinking ever lower into a seat next to the Potter boy.

Weasley! He would wring the boy's neck with his own two hands, and then slowly, slowly torture him over the flames of one of his cauldrons.

He glanced back at Minerva to see her smirking at him, and then she nodded slightly. Oh yes, she'd noticed the boy as well. At that point, Hermione was getting sick and tired of the glances and looks that were showing that they were having a full non-verbal conversation in front of her.

"Professor Snape, please, I just-"

He cut her off. "You just what, Miss Granger? Don't pretend to be flattered, you foolish girl!"

At this point, even Minerva realized that she should not be listening to a conversation that was bound to become personal. With that, she stood up from her chair and helped Septima from her chair as well and escorted the two of them out of the Three Broomsticks and back towards the castle.

Neither Hermione nor Severus noticed, however, and kept on going at it.

"I'm not pretending, sir! It's always nice to know that someone can find me attractive, no matter who that particular person happens to be!"

He glared at her. "Oh, please! Don't even try to make your words flattering, you'll only fail. Honestly, do you think any woman would be happy to know that I felt some sort of affection for them? How do you honestly feel about it, Miss Granger?"

Her eyes were practically in flames as she answered him. "Honestly, I feel relieved because now I know that you feel the same way towards me that I do towards you!"

Her eyes suddenly went wide, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. No, this could not be happening! She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't tell a single living soul, _especially_ not him, but now here she was, blurting out her deepest secret as though it were nothing! It was as though there was no shield between her mouth and her every thought…wait a minute. Could she have been dosed with Veritaserum? She shook her head; no, it wasn't possible. No one would do something so…so shallow. But it was the only thing that made sense.

She slowly voiced her thoughts. "Sir…I think, I think someone's given me truth serum because…because..."

He gave her a sharp glance, and then motioned his head towards the table across the room. She turned and craned her neck…and saw Ron trying to meld with the chair that he was sitting in, his face practically the same color as his hair. She tightened her jaw. He was going to have to do some _pretty_ fast explaining in order to get out of this one!

That's when she realized. Professor Snape had been dosed as well! Knowing Ron, it most definitely had _not_ been deliberate. It was most likely that he'd been trying to dose her and had, _some_how, inadvertently dosed the professor's drink as well. It was classic Ron. Try to do something with good intentions using devious ways, and the whole thing backfired on him. Hermione tried to control her anger, but she could feel her stomach roiling.

How could he do something like this to her? What was so important that he felt that he had to resort to Veritaserum in order to get the truth out of her?

She turned back around in her chair to face Professor Snape, and saw that he kept his eyes towards his drink, though he didn't take another sip, for by now both he and Hermione had figured out that it had been in their drinks.

Severus watched in fascination as her whole body tightened and her eyes became as hard as steel. It was quite a sight, and he enjoyed it for a brief moment, secretly grateful that her gaze wasn't focused on him. There was something about it that was causing him to have a somewhat _physical_ reaction.

She sat there with him for a long moment, deathly silent, obviously beyond furious with her friend, and then placed her hands on the table, rising from her seat.

"Excuse me, Professor, while I go kill someone."

At that comment, he watched in some amusement and she stormed across the room and over to her previous table, her anger almost a physical force all on its own. He watched with something akin to pride as she began to chew him out.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley! How dare you dose me? With Veritaserum, no less! Are you absolutely mental?"

He merely sunk deeper into his chair as she began to berate him, while Harry looked on in shock at what was going on in front of him. He'd never seen Hermione in such a state before. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Professor Snape at the other table, and he was…no, it couldn't be. He looked again. Yes, the man was grinning.

Harry then tuned back in to Hermione's tirade, which was now being heard by the whole place.

"Ronald, you are, by far, the biggest dunderhead I've ever known! The only way you could have procured the Veritaserum, and I know it's the only explanation because you are nowhere _near_ capable of brewing it, is through thievery! You stole it! And for what?"

She finally died down, her chest heaving, her eyes dangerously flashing, and Harry trying to keep himself from joining Snape in grinning at the predicament Ron had put himself in.

Ron stuttered, obviously trying to explain himself. "I-It was an accident, I s-swear, Hermione!"

She glared at him yet again, the look in her eyes conveying her disbelief at what he was saying. She then placed her hands on her hips, tossing her hair back over her shoulders, and she looked more formidable than ever. Like an angry Greek goddess about to reign eternal destruction down upon an unsuspecting enemy.

"Would you mind clarifying that statement, Ronald? If you mean, dosing Professor Snape was an accident, then please explain what the reason was for dosing _me_!"

At that last comment, his mouth snapped shut. Harry looked at Ron in disbelief, barely able to believe that Ron would do such a thing to his own friend, but then again, Ron was not exactly known for well-thought out plans, and this one was obviously a mistake. That was the only explanation for it. Harry tried to intervene.

"Hermione, I'm sure he didn't-"

She put her hand up, cutting him off.

"Oh, yes, I'm _sure_ it was some sort of accident. He just _accidentally_ found some truth serum, and then just _accidentally_ poured it into my drink. However, I'm positive that dosing the Professor _was_ an accident, though, because even Ronald isn't _that_ suicidal."

At that, she dropped her hands from her waist and just gave him a sad look.

"Ron, you know you can ask me anything, right? And that I'll answer any questions that you have? You don't have to resort to magic to make sure that I'm an honest person. I will _always_ tell you and Harry the truth, so long as it doesn't pose any danger to you or to myself. So _don't_ go around thinking that you know better, Ronald, because you _don't_!"

With that, she grabbed her coat and stormed out, leaving one ashamed friend and another confused friend, behind her.

As soon as the two boys' eyes left the doorway, Severus slipped out as quietly and quickly as he could, determined to catch up with her. As he picked up his pace through the light snow that was falling, he mentally applauded her veracity. If he could give her house points for her performance, he would.

After a few yards, he caught sight of her standing just outside the school gates. As he got closer, he noticed a wetness across her cheeks that was not caused by the snow.

She was crying.

Oh, dear Merlin, how on earth was he supposed to deal with this? Crying women were not meant to be handled by men such as himself. They were a breed all unto their own, and so he held back for a moment, and then watched her with a slight smile as she shook her head as though appalled at her actions and drag the back of her hand across her cheeks, wiping away the evidence of any emotional weakness.

He took a step forward, and then realized what he was doing. What was he going to say? Just because they'd both admitted their feelings under Veritaserum, that didn't mean that either of them wanted to _act_ on them. All it meant was that they both held some sort of attraction for the other. To approach her would be unthinkable, especially as a professor. And even if he weren't her professor, she was still his apprentice…and he personally wanted nothing to do with those particular kinds of emotions.

He had been hurt before, and had no desire to go through it again.

At that thought, he waited until she passed through the gates and was more than halfway up to the castle before making his way back up as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 4?**


	5. Musings in Bed

**Chapter 5 - Musings in Bed**

Hermione was mentally and emotionally exhausted as she entered her Head Girl's private room. She let herself collapse on the bed after throwing her jacket on the chair next to her door. But she then realized that if she slept in her clothes they would become wrinkled, so she reluctantly sat up and removed her pants, shirt, and underthings, and threw on her extra-large Pink Floyd night shirt.

She smiled as she ran a hand through her hair and glanced down at the shirt she wore. It had been a present from her father a couple of years earlier when she'd mentioned that she was unable to listen to her music while at Hogwarts because of the magic interfering with electronics. He had bought it for her as a reminder.

As she pulled her covers over her, she let her mind run over what had happened in the Three Broomsticks.

He felt the same way about her…she stopped her thoughts there. Maybe, she corrected. He had _implied_ that he cared for her more than she should, but that really didn't say much. It could be simply that he saw her as attractive, and nothing more.

She was fully aware of her feelings and how they'd developed over the past couple of years, but luckily he wasn't aware of how deep they ran. To her this was more than just a passing fancy, more than just a schoolgirl crush. It was true and genuine…well, she didn't want to use the "L" word, but she had a sneaking suspicion that that's what it was. Her feelings for him were so very complex and were nowhere near as simple as she wanted them to be.

She flipped over on her stomach, pulling her pillow to her chest. This was her thinking position, and she needed to think.

What was it exactly that drew her to him? She mulled it over. He was smart, and of course that attracted to her, but it was more than just that. It was how he _used_ his smarts. He had a sarcastic sense of humor that was scathing yet incredibly hilarious at times, and that wit was something else that drew her to him.

He was tall, which was a physical plus. She didn't know what it was, but she needed to be with someone who was significantly taller than her, and he certainly fit the bill. As long as she was thinking about physical attributes, she could add his voice. Good lord, that voice. It was as though someone had taken the idea of sex and put it all into his voice. It was chocolate and caramel as well as many other things. It could be as harsh and grating as rough corrugated steel, or as liquid as molten iron.

Goddess, just thinking about his voice was causing her insides to do odd things. A low heat was flowing through her and meeting between her legs.

Not good…not good at all. She had to change her train of thought.

She flipped back over, and her thoughts ran to Ron. She had been starting to see him in a slightly different light over the summer that she'd stayed at the Burrow, but she wasn't sure what it was. She knew that she was emotionally and intellectually more mature than her two male counterparts, but her hormones were only just catching up to her.

Hermione thought about it for a moment. Maybe…yes, that could be it. Being forced to stay in such close proximity to a male her own age for so long was merely affecting her hormones.

Now that she thought about it, Ron had only ever seemed like a brother to her, as did Harry.

But Severus…good lord, did she just think that? When had she started calling him by his first name? She inwardly blushed. She knew _exactly_ when she'd started calling him by his first name. It had been after that incident at the beginning of the summer at Grimmauld Place.

After seeing him dressed in unbuttoned jeans and an unbuttoned shirt, it had become impossible for her to call him Snape in her mind anymore. He truly _was_ Severus. She smiled to herself as she thought about his name. He had a wonderful first name. She had secretly spoken it aloud when she was alone in her room a few times, and had relished the feel of how the syllables seemed to just roll off the tip of her tongue with ease.

She placed a silencing spell on her room to make it easier for her to sleep, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she let his name slide from her lips.

"Severus…"

She shivered as she spoke his name to the empty air, almost expecting him to answer. He had only ever said her last name before, and she wondered what it would sound like if he said her first name. Would it roll off his lips as easily as his name did for her?

With a sigh, she rolled over and let herself slip into sleep.

* * *

><p>Severus Snape slipped into his chambers as silently as he always did. He twitched his wand and soon the flames were roaring in the fireplace. Another twitch had his robes sliding off of him, revealing a plain white Muggle oxford shirt beneath all of the buttons that he normally had.<p>

He stared at his liquor cabinet. He could see the worn out brand on the Ogden's Finest, but he withheld. It wouldn't help to get more drunk than he already was.

He wasn't actually very drunk, but he didn't want to risk it. Ever since the Dark Lord had been defeated only a month before, he had managed to sleep through each night without having to ply himself with alcohol until he slept like the dead.

Tonight, however, he kept himself far away from the drink that tempted him.

As he crossed the room to his chambers, _she_ crossed his thoughts. Unbidden, the image of her wiping away her tears flashed across his mind.

Hermione Granger was a person who closed off emotions that would make her appear weak, so seeing her cry was a very strange sight. She had dealt with it very well, however.

Severus wondered at that as he slid off his clothes and pulled on his plain, gray pajama bottoms, not bothering with a shirt. The stone down here in the dungeons actually could hold heat rather well, and would warm up fairly quickly. He lay down on top of the covers, enjoying the pleasant temperature that was now permeating his rooms. He knew that the Veritaserum had worn off at this point, but he suddenly felt himself longing for the effects once more.

It had never been easy for him to say what was really on his mind, but the serum allowed him to say it, no matter what reservations he had. In a way, he was actually thankful for what the red-headed brat had done. Not that he would ever admit it out loud.

Hearing her words about how she felt towards him seemed to have opened up a whole gamut of emotions that he didn't even know that he had.

There was longing. Dear Merlin, was there longing. He'd never felt anything like it before, and it was so strong it felt as though it were a physical ache. Like a string had been attached to his breastbone and the other end of it was attached to _her_, and that he couldn't get away from it. And that every time he tried to move from it, it merely got tighter and pulled.

There was fear. It was a gut-wrenching, stomach-twisting fear that made him feel as though someone had cast a knotting spell on his insides.

He slipped his hands behind his head, trying to retain some semblance of sanity. It wouldn't do to think on what he couldn't ever have; all that it would do would be to bring him heartache, and he'd had enough of that to last more than one lifetime, if not quite two.

With that thought, he cleared his mind and let himself sink into the deep oblivion that he longed for every night…sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 5?**


	6. A Midday Stroll

**Chapter 6 - A Midday Stroll**

Hermione slowly woke up, suddenly grateful that it was a Saturday. She could easily spend all day in her room, avoiding Ron and keeping to herself.

However, she then noticed the beautiful sunlight streaming into her room, across the covers of her bed, and she had an urgent longing to be outside. Well, it couldn't hurt. She could find a place that he would never go…and she smiled.

Quickly pulling herself out of bed, she threw on a pair of black jeans and a thick grey sweatshirt. After shoving her feet into a pair of worn out dragon-hide boots that she'd bought in her third year at Hogwarts and never grown out of, she quickly found her old black trench-coat and her favorite pair of black leather gloves. She grinned slightly as she pulled out the green and silver scarf that she'd bought back at home from a local thrift store and then shrunk it down and slipped it into her pocket. It wouldn't do well if anyone in Gryffindor saw her wearing it, but she couldn't help it that the two colors happened to be her favorite ones and secretly dominated most of her Muggle wardrobe.

Besides, what would Harry and Ron say if they knew that she actually loathed red and gold and had originally wanted to be in Slytherin because she liked the colors?

She grinned as she grabbed a hair tie from her dresser as she left her room, quickly pulling her hair back into a messy pony tail. She would grab a quick breakfast, but then she was leaving. It was the first real snow of the season, and she was looking forward to enjoying it.

As she strode into the Great Hall, she realized that she was there a bit earlier than usual and saw that it was mostly empty. In fact, only two Hufflepuffs sat at their usual table, four Ravenclaws at their own table, books out. And from the looks of it they were vigorously studying. However, no one from Gryffindor or Slytherin was even there.

Feeling daring, she strode to the Slytherin table and sat down, watching with some amusement as the food appeared before her. Apparently, the house elves weren't preferential.

She grabbed some toast and took a quick bite, but nearly choked as she swallowed when Professor Snape entered and merely nodded in her direction, not a single loathing look to be found on his countenance. Surely it bothered him that she was sitting where his precious Slytherins sat, didn't it?

However, as she quickly ate through her meal she kept casting glances up towards the high table, wondering whether or not it bothered him…and whether or not he was thinking about what had happened just the evening before. Had he already cast it from his mind, thinking nothing of it? That she was just a girl with a stupid crush? At that thought, she felt her appetite wilt and she suddenly didn't have any more cravings for the food in front of her.

She quickly slipped from the bench, heading straight for the doors, not noticing the dark eyes that followed her as she left.

It was cold outside, but it wasn't so cold that she could feel it in her bones. Her layers kept her warm and she was suddenly reminded of her scarf in her pocket. She pulled it out and quickly un-shrunk it and wrapped it around her neck…but then decided to just let the ends hang from either side, as she was enjoying the feel of the cool air against her skin.

Hermione stared out at the white expanse of lawn that ran across part of the lake, and she let out a deep sigh. It was gorgeous…so still. Every sound, taste and texture was amplified in the clear air, and she relished the feeling. She had never had the chance to appreciate the winters at Hogwarts, as Harry, Ron, and Ginny had always insisted on running around, and it wasn't the same as simply breathing in the air and letting it pull her under its own, unique spell.

She could see the frozen flags of the Quidditch pitch off in the distance, and their stillness seemed appropriate for the moment.

Everything was perfect.

Then she heard the faint, but distinct crunch of boots in the snow. Great…she hoped that no one had followed her. She did _not_ want to deal with any of her friends at the moment. She needed the time to herself, and was desperate to sort out her feelings towards Professor Snape…Severus…in her own time.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of black cloak and long dark hair. It was _him_.

She picked up her pace, not wanting anyone to see her talking to him outside of class. She knew that it would only invite rude speculation.

She managed to make it over to the Whomping Willow, which was quiescent in the winter, and she sat down at its base...it was also just beyond where normal prying eyes might look. She continued to hear the crunch of his boots and didn't turn her head to stare.

If he came to her, then he came to her. She couldn't change that.

He continued on his course, but then he suddenly veered off towards the lake. She watched as he pulled out his wand discreetly from his sleeve, and then she saw him make a slight motion with his wrist, barely noticeable from the distance that she was observing him from.

What was that? She looked closer, and then she realized. He was doing something that she'd only read about, but never seen. It was called a Whisper Charm, and it was highly advanced wandwork.

She waited a moment, and then she heard his voice as clear as day, as though he were standing right next to her, even though he wasn't.

"Miss Granger…we need to talk."

She shivered at the sound of his voice. For a moment she thought she could feel his breath against her skin, but she knew that she was only imagining things, but even just the idea was enough to send another shiver down her spine.

"Do we?", was all she said, but it seemed to be enough, because his eyes snapped up at her words. She could feel their intensity even from where she sat, and she squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, trying to ignore the warm sensation that ran up her back at his look.

His eyes finally pulled away, and he spoke once more.

"Yes…we do."

With that, he began to walk along the edge of the lake, as though completely unaware of her presence, even though his words were connected directly to her.

The silence stretched between them as if it were a physical presence. It was thick and filled with emotion, one that neither of them wanted to look too closely at for fear of seeing something that they didn't want to.

Finally, she mustered up some of her Gryffindor courage and spoke up first.

"Well...what exactly do you want to address, Professor? If you're talking about last night, then I am sure that there is nothing to discuss as we were both…not entirely ourselves."

Another long silence stretched between them, but this time was fraught with a tension that seemed to be boiling with a slow anger just beneath the surface. She had learned to gauge his moods over the years in order to avoid his ire in the classroom and in their time when they worked together in the Potion's lab, and she recognized this one as one where he was having to control his formidable temper.

"You dare to presume, Miss Granger?"

She faltered in her response, unsure of how to respond to his anger. She'd never been so directly on the receiving end of it before.

His tone was icy, and even though she knew that he wasn't an entirely awful man, she found herself suddenly fearing what he might say to her. She could imagine the string of vitriol and poisonous words that would come from him without effort. Oh no, there wouldn't be cursing, but she knew that he knew how to place words just right so that they would sting with every blow that they landed.

After a long pause, she finally responded. "No…of course not, Professor."

She watched as he moved further along the bank, and soon she could not even see his face in profile. He seemed to be guarding himself from her.

Of course, it only made it all the more easy on her. Not being able to see his face gave her more courage to speak what was in her thoughts. She took a deep breath, and then went into it.

"I…I just wondered whether or not it was something that had to addressed. It was mostly Ron's fault anyway, and I thought that you wouldn't want to talk to me about it. I know that it was awkward and not necessarily something that a teacher and student would discuss."

There was a long gap of silence, and then he finally replied.

"Yes…normally that would be the case, but I am not one to ignore trouble simply because it's inconvenient at the time."

She gave a quiet nod of her head to his words, understanding what he was saying.

However, in the back of her mind, all she could seem to think about was the fact that this man, that in the past few months she had suddenly found incredibly fascinating and surprisingly desirable, was talking to her as an equal.

But she realized that her reactions to him were beside the point. He was attempting to talk her as an adult, and she realized that if she wanted to keep any of his respect, she needed to be careful about her words and what she would say next.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"Of course you're right, Professor. I'm sorry for my assumption."

Another silence pervaded, but this one was significantly less charged than the previous one, and was almost comfortable. Several long moments passed, and then Snape finally spoke up.

"Miss Granger, I think it behooves us both if we simply go on with our lives. It is not a crime to admit to attraction, however, it is merely attraction and nothing more. I, as many others around you, have merely recognized the fact that you are…attractive." She sucked in a breath at hearing this and listened closely as he continued. "You, unlike many others around me and in my past, have found something…_appealing_ about my presence…"

She wanted to speak up, to correct him, to tell him how she found him undeniably attractive in so many different ways, but she understood that to do so would be fatal and that it wouldn't have mattered what she said, he still wouldn't believe her.

"…And that is all that it is, and nothing more. So, I expect you behave as you normally would around me, and not to expect any special treatment."

Hermione nodded, and then realized that he couldn't see her. "Yes, sir. I understand completely."

She watched him nod his head.

"Good. Then we have come to an understanding."

That was all he said before he swept away, his black teacher's robes billowing out behind him as he walked along the edge of the lake, away from her. She noticed a brief twitch of his wand that ended the charm that had been linking them, and felt a brief loss at not being able to hear his voice in her ear.

She slowly stood and began the walk back to the castle, her mind and her heart weighing heavily on her after all that had transpired.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 6?**


	7. Forced Revelations

**Chapter 7 - Forced Revelations**

Hermione was still avoiding Ron, and whenever she was forced to be in contact with him, she purposely directed her eyes away from him and said nothing to him.

Harry was somewhat amused by the whole thing, and felt that Ron deserved what Hermione was doing to him, but at the same time, Hermione seemed to be taking it more personal…as though something else had happened that evening.

She started to avoid Ron and Harry altogether, too distracted by her memories of her encounter with Professor Snape.

It had been three weeks since they'd spoken, and they had been the longest weeks of her life.

Every single time she went to Potions, she had to steady her nerves. It was absolute torture. She was aware of the fact that he was attracted to her and he was aware of the fact that she was attracted to him…and whenever they were in the same room together, it took all of her effort to not just simply stare at him.

How was she supposed to pretend as though nothing had ever happened?

It was hard. But possible.

She managed to push it to the back of her mind.

However, it kept on resurfacing at the most inopportune times…like when he stood behind her in class to observe her technique and she could smell him. Her breath would hitch and she would mentally chastise herself for acting like a schoolgirl with a crush, and then move on.

However, it was becoming harder and harder to ignore. The more she had tried to push him from her mind, the more he kept on resurfacing.

Like when she was little and tried to push her ball under the water on the surface of her pool, but it always came back up…and each time, making her more and more frustrated.

Hermione stormed into her room after a particularly trying day, and actually threw her books across the room.

She cringed slightly as she heard them hit with a loud thud, but at the same time got a strange satisfaction from it. Her Potions' book was among them and, for a brief moment, it felt as though she was physically striking out against the man who had made her life a living hell for the past four weeks.

She groaned and threw herself onto her mattress, absently twirling her wand, barely recognizing the fact that her books sailed across the room to their rightful place onto her desk.

What was she going to do?

It was finally catching up to her and her grades were suffering slightly.

Professor McGonagall had called on her today and she hadn't known the answer simply because she hadn't heard the question. She had been completely and utterly distracted by what was going on in her head…and it was driving her mad.

And that was when she remembered…

Tomorrow night. Apprenticeship. Private working conditions…for _five hours_.

Oh dear Merlin, this was _not_ fair!

She rolled over on her covers and groaned into her pillow. How the hell was she going to do this? She honestly didn't know what was going to happen…and for the first time in her life, she contemplated just skipping out.

The boys had done it often enough, but only when they hadn't finished an assignment and needed more time…which was more often now that she had stopped helping them.

But could she do that? Could she go against her nature and…_not_ show up?

It was hard enough on her conscience when she was a minute late to class...which had happened only _once_ in her entire time of being at Hogwarts.

And, Hermione finally concluded, it would be stupid to skip it because she knew that he would know why she was skipping it and would find her actions to be nothing but childish and cowardly. And besides, she was working on an apprenticeship; she _had_ to go, or else it would severely lower the possibility of being able to get a job in the wizarding world.

With that resolved, she rolled over and got up from the bed, quickly removing her sweater vest and stupid school tie…though it really didn't bother her that much.

Leaning over, she slid her shoes and socks off and then quickly stood back up and slipped off her skirt.

Wearing nothing but her white shirt and undergarments, she walked over to the dresser and put her clothes into the bottom drawer that automatically cleaned everything.

She sighed as she saw steam emanating from around the seams of the drawer. It was times like this that she missed being at home. She had always liked doing her laundry; it was cathartic, relaxing, and was a safe way to relieve her tension from daily and weekly struggles.

Now she didn't even have that.

Now, she was forced to vent her frustrations by pouring all of her energies into her schoolwork.

Unlike what everyone thought, she was not a know-it-all because she wanted to be…she was a know-it-all because she had no other choice.

She had always pushed herself, but most of the time she had no motivation and wanted nothing more than to go home, pull out all of her favorite sweets and junk food, and pop in one of her classic comedy favorites, such as _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ or _Galaxy Quest_...or possibly _Evolution_.

Hermione was a sucker for stupid comedy and B-movies, and she also had a secret weakness for the television show _Little Britain_…not that anyone would ever find out.

And at that moment, she wished she could go home and do just that…

…but, instead, she picked up one of her books from the floor and pulled out a notebook and a pencil. She did things her way first, and _then_ she copied everything down onto parchment. Scratching things out in ink was _not_ pretty to look at. She silently wondered why the wizarding world hadn't caught up with the twenty-first century already.

She sighed and started her outline for her essay for Transfiguration.

Only twenty more hours until the inevitable…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 7?**


	8. The First Two Hours

**Chapter 8 - The First Two Hours**

Hermione stepped through the doorway and silently cheered at the fact that Severus Snape was nowhere in sight.

She quickly made her way over to her private workstation and pulled out her notes from her previous session and then added Professor Vector's notes, as well. The sight of them, however, reminded her of the night at the Three Broomsticks.

Quickly, she ran through the notes, and was soon preparing her own calculations for her new potion.

She was so involved in what she was doing, she was completely unaware of the Potions master's office door opening and closing.

As soon as he'd stepped into the room, he realized that it was a bad idea.

There she was, bent over her notes, writing away, and he found himself suddenly assaulted by the scent of sandalwood…_her_ scent. It threw him back to the beginning of that previous summer and he shook his head, turning towards his potions' storage.

He silently cursed himself…he wasn't sure that he could take five hours of this.

Of course, he reminded himself as he stepped into the storage room, it was his own damn fault.

In order to do a proper apprenticeship, they needed at _least_ four hours of work outside the classroom every other day, and he always pushed his students.

With any other possibly apprentice, he would have assigned only four, simply because that was about all he could tolerate of most his other students. But Hermione Granger was not any other student…she was an _exceptional_ student, as well as an overachiever, so he gave her the extra hour.

Now, however, he was sincerely regretting that particular decision, and silently wasted time checking potions ingredients that he knew were already organized.

He was halfway tempted to close his eyes and flick his wand, purposely messing up the order, just so he had something justifiable to do in the potions cupboard…but that would be cowardly.

Severus Snape was a grown man and could deal with simple physical attraction…he just wouldn't look at her.

Yes. That solved his problem perfectly.

He walked back out into the classroom, unsurprised to see that she still hadn't looked up from her work. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't even yet noticed the fact that he was in the room at all, so passionately she threw herself into her work.

He remained silent and sat down at his desk, pulling out the fourth-year essays and his red ink.

For once in his life, he was looking forward to grading.

* * *

><p>Hermione finally looked up from her calculations, only to realize that two hours had already passed, and that was when she realized…he was in the room with her.<p>

Quickly, she clamped down on her initial responses and moved over to her workstation and pulled out all of the necessary equipment, and then headed to the potions' storage to get the ingredients that she needed for the first part of the potion.

Methodically, she grabbed each of the ingredients, going alphabetically, and briskly walked back to her table, laying them out in the order they would be used.

The entire time that she measured, she kept glancing over in the professor's direction, where he sat silently, grading papers.

Her hands went on automatic, having done the beginning part of the potion over twenty times before, giving her plenty of opportunity to stare.

Suddenly, she felt a stabbing pain in one of her fingers and she cried out.

She looked down to find that because she had been distracted, she had misjudged the distance and instead had sliced into her own finger with the silver knife rather deeply. Severus' eyes had snapped up at the sound of her cry, and he saw blood.

He immediately bolted from his desk and approached her, grasping her injured hand in both of his and he quickly murmured a healing spell.

As soon as his hands had touched her own, her breath escaped her.

It was electric…she could feel tingles running down from her wrist, where his fingers still lightly grasped her hand, though it was no longer injured.

He held her hand for a moment longer than was necessary…and then hastily dropped it, as though burned.

His gaze darkened and she was proud of herself, as she managed to not look away as he towered over her, his presence a force all on its' own.

"Do pay attention, Miss Granger...it would be a shame if your own clumsiness cost you your apprenticeship."

She cringed at the harsh tone of his words, and watched as he quickly turned on his heel, the effect not as dramatic without his regular robes, but still intimidating, and walked back over to his desk, not sparing a glance back in her direction.

She dropped her eyes to the floor and turned back to her table, glad that none of her blood had fallen on any of her ingredients…it would have ruined the potion.

_Stupid_, she thought to herself. _Stupid girl…_

Strangely enough, the voice in her head sounded a lot like a certain Potions master.

Casting a silent _Tempus_, she realized that she still had three more hours to go…she wasn't sure if she could last that long. And even if she could, what would it prove to her? That she was even more besotted with him than she realized? That just being around him made her more clumsy and more aware of her awkwardness?

Already, his presence had caused her harm and could have easily ruined what she was working on…he was a hazard without her even realizing it.

Tossing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she focused herself on the task at hand.

_Only three more hours to go_, she reminded herself. _Only three more hours to go…_

* * *

><p><strong>Part 8?**


	9. The Next Two Hours

**A.N. - The spell in here is completely made up, and I had fun making it up! The whole silver base reacting with dragon or unicorn ingredients was something that I thought would be interesting...please enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 - The Next Two Hours<strong>

Besides her one incident, it had been silent between the two of them.

The two of them both felt the silence as a physical force that filled the entire room, every movement causing a slight ripple in the air, registering with the other person.

Hermione bit her lip in concentration, trying to focus on adding each of the ingredients at _precisely_ the right time.

She looked once more at her notes.

"_Seventeen stirs counter-clockwise, then add aconite, three minutes between each stir (color should change to green)…nine stirs clockwise, then add dragon tears, two minutes per stir (color now should turn deep red)…eleven half-stirs in a clockwise direction starting from the top, then add powdered unicorn horn, one minute per stir (colors should now fluctuate between silver and gold)."_

She took her time, carefully counting her stirs, once more biting her lip, her brow furrowing in concentration.

Severus watched her from behind his desk for almost two hours and he found himself slightly amused at the expression on his apprentice's face.

Her eyes were focused, her nose slightly scrunched, and he could tell that she was biting the inside of her lip…and she was adorable.

He quickly shook that thought out of his head. Adorable had no place here…besides, a word like that was juvenile. She was not. He stared for a moment longer and then was suddenly transfixed as he watched her expression turn into one that he'd never seen before…

Her eyes turned bright, her lips relaxed, and a smile of pure joy crossed her face…and he was enraptured.

From adorable to breathtaking in a manner of seconds.

He could suddenly see the woman that she truly was, and he found that he was having to physically hold himself back from crossing the room and going to her.

Now was not the time for such notions.

* * *

><p>Hermione couldn't believe it…it had worked! Everything had happened exactly as she had predicted!<p>

If she had done everything correctly, then one sip of the potion would allow her to see the possible consequences of any choice that she might make in the immediate future, and how it would affect those in the vicinity of where she was.

She carefully poured all of the potion into several shatter-proof charmed bottles, and then started to clean up her area.

As she cleaned, she twitched a finger and her notes slid back into her bag into their rightful places.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Severus was watching her every move and noticed her small display of wandless magic, something that wasn't taught in the Hogwarts curriculum.

Severus then noticed that she had finished, so he slowly rose and walked over to her work table, curious as to how her potion had worked; but if he'd had to guess from her expression moments ago he would have said that the answer to that question was yes.

He carefully picked up one of the filled vials, and marveled for a moment at its' color.

The liquid inside shimmered constantly between silver and gold and when he swirled it, for a brief moment the colors merged and flashed an almost blinding light.

He averted his eyes and then looked back to the potion in his hand.

It was truly the work of a genius mind, and he was certain that she would make great advances in the world of Potions.

The flash of light was most likely the base of the potion (which he knew to be liquid silver) reacting with both the dragon tears and the unicorn horn. It was _extremely_ dangerous to use silver as a base when using anything from a dragon or unicorn, as they tended to have explosive qualities when combined, but Hermione was genius with using the aconite as a stabilizer, keeping the two from fully combining.

Absolutely brilliant…

He stared at it and then turned to her, not able to hold back his honest words of praise.

"This is quite brilliant, Miss Granger…I can assure you, that you will have no difficulties in obtaining your masters in Potions…"

She looked at him in shock, not quite believing what she'd just heard him say, and then briefly wondered if he had accidentally taken some Veritaserum again, but he gave her a grim smile.

"And I can assure you, Miss Granger," he said, responding to the look on her face. "I am in full control of my faculties. Well done."

She nodded, but then a self-deprecating look crossed her face, and she said,

"Well, don't sing your praises just yet, Professor…it still needs to be tested. If it works, then all is well…however, if it doesn't, then back to the drawing board."

He gave her a grim look.

"We'll cross that road if we come to it, Miss Granger…"

She simply nodded and reached for the small vial that she'd set aside for the experiment. As she un-stoppered it, she cast a quick glance in her professor's direction, slightly disconcerted that he was standing right in front of her, but he saw her look and responded with one in return, an eyebrow raised.

Quickly, she threw it back like a shot, tilting her head as she did so, and was surprised to find that it tasted rather pleasant…like ginger and lemon, with a hint of spice.

However, she then felt an icy feeling run along the length of her spine and she shivered violently at the unexpected sensation.

She looked over at Severus, in her thoughts wondering what it would be like to kiss him…

…and suddenly she could see something.

It was as though a ghost of herself stepped forward to a ghost-type version of Severus and grabbed him and kissed him. She gasped at the sight, floored when she saw the ghost version of him return her kiss wholeheartedly.

Hermione was utterly confused…and then she realized.

The potion worked.

It was showing her the most likely outcome of her possible decision, and, she had to admit, it sure looked good.

But the question remained…should she dare?

* * *

><p><strong>Part 9?**


	10. The Last Hour

**A.N. - This chapter took some finagling and tweaking...and sorry it took me a while to update! Fanfiction was being weird and not letting me sign on so I was deprived of updating for five whole days! (trust me, that's an eternity when you have a chapter begging to be put up) So, enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 - The Last Hour<strong>

Hermione's hesitation lasted for only a second, and then, using her Gryffindor courage, she took a bold step forward and lifted her hands to either side of his face, and pulled his lips down to hers.

Consequences be damned…

…she was going to take what was rightfully hers.

For a brief moment, it was only her lips moving against his, and she began to pull back, certain that she'd made a mistake, but his arms quickly wrapped themselves around her waist and she soon found herself drowning in utter intoxication at the pure heat that she could feel between the two of them.

For a stoic man, he certainly was passionate.

She shivered as she felt his tongue trace her lips, begging entrance, and she gladly opened up to him.

A spark shot down her spine and settled between her legs as she felt his tongue slip against her own.

She squirmed slightly, rubbing her hips against his, and was rewarded with a sudden thrust of his hips against hers. His hands gripped her hips so tightly that she was certain there would be bruises left behind…but at that thought she grinned.

She would gladly wear his marks of passion.

At that thought, she felt the need to do some claiming of her own, and pulled back from the kiss just enough so that she could catch his bottom lip between her own.

Teasingly, she worried at it with her teeth and she heard him groan at the sensation.

Hermione grinned.

* * *

><p>Severus couldn't quite believe what was happening. Only a few moments before, he had been congratulating her on her potion, and now, suddenly, here he was kissing her…it didn't feel real.<p>

She had practically attacked him, but her advance certainly wasn't unwelcome.

He threw himself into the kiss, seizing the opportunity to find out what she tasted like, and felt himself instinctively thrust his hardening length against her as she rubbed her hips teasingly over his.

As of that particular moment, he was trying to plot a way to get back at her as she tugged at his lower lip with her teeth.

He groaned.

In the back of his mind, however, he dimly wondered whether or not what was happening was a side-effect of the potion that she had just ingested.

Still focusing on the kiss, he mentally reviewed the ingredients she had used in her potion, and tried to think of anything that might have combined in the wrong way that might have this particular after-effect…but nothing came to mind.

Mentally shrugging it off, he slowly pulled back only to lean back in and place teasing kisses down her exposed neck, while at the same time having enough thought to put the wards to the room up. They wouldn't want anyone walking in on them, would they?

He let out a breath against her neck…he could feel her pulse racing just under his lips and he couldn't help but grin.

It seemed that he certainly had an effect on her.

Hermione's head rolled to the side, giving him easier access, so he took advantage of it.

…But in the back of his mind, he realized that they needed to stop and talk. Though hating himself for it, he slowly pulled away, trying to tamp down his ardor in order to gain some perspective on what was happening.

The sight he saw when he pulled back, however, was sorely tempting him to continue his previous activities.

Hermione's eyes were glazed, her lips slightly swollen from being kissed, a bruise forming on her neck from where he'd nipped at her, and her hair was falling loose from its bun. She favored him with a slight pout, and he held himself in check, stopping himself from leaning forward and taking that lower lip between his teeth.

He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves.

"Hermione…"

However, that was all he was able to get out. His throat was suddenly dry, as was his mouth.

Hermione watched in fascination as he convulsively swallowed, and she briefly understood what he was feeling at that moment.

She couldn't think of a thing to say…what could either of them say? She realized that she hadn't thought everything out, and merely acted on what the potion had shown her. What was going to happen now?

She glanced towards the floor, but he reached forward and lifted her head with a finger under her chin.

Their eyes caught…but no words came.

She suddenly found herself fascinated by the depth of his eyes, and she couldn't pull her gaze away, even though his finger dropped from its position on her chin.

Severus was captured by the color in her eyes. They had never been a feature that he'd taken much notice of before this moment, but he was suddenly captivated by the way he could see hints of gold highlighted by the candlelight in the plain brown that he was used to.

The sound of their breathing was the only thing that broke through the room.

He wanted to step forward, to tell her that they shouldn't be doing what they were doing…but at the same time, he wanted it to happen.

It was more than lust, of that he was certain. It was more than mutual attraction between the two of them.

It was obvious from what he felt after the kiss.

He felt not as though he'd merely physically pulled away, but also as though he'd left a piece of himself emblazoned into her skin. And from the look that she was giving him, he had the faint feeling that she felt the same.

She felt the same.

Hermione's heart was thundering in her chest and echoing loudly in her ears, and she was certain that he could hear it. She swallowed, trying to find something, _any_thing to say, but nothing came. Something had to be said...

…something…

…anything.

They stared.

They waited…

…and waited...

* * *

><p><strong>Part 10?**


	11. And So It Goes

**Chapter 11 - And So It Goes**

It had been a week since that incident in the Potions lab, and Hermione was still trying to wrap her mind around it.

They had stood there in silence for a good fifteen minutes, possibly longer…and then she hadn't been able to take the tension for any longer, and had bolted from the room, barely remembering to grab her bag on the way out.

Class had been almost unbearable, but she had managed to survive the week so far.

Barely.

Ever since the two of them had kissed, her mind had gone over it at least a thousand times.

And when she wasn't awake, she was dreaming about it…and taking it further than the simple kiss. _Much_ further.

She sat in the library, poring through her notes on the potion that she'd created. Normally, she would go over them with Professor Snape-_Severus_, her mind uttered-in his private lab, and they would banter ideas and theories back and forth, but she couldn't bring herself to face him.

She had made a mistake. She knew that she had.

Had he been able to continue to speak she knew that he would have told her that it was all a colossal mistake, and that it shouldn't happen again.

It was a nightmare.

She mindlessly walked down the hall to the library, her hand gripping tightly to the strap of her bag.

The instant she stepped foot into the library she felt her nerves calm somewhat. If there was a single place in the castle that was a refuge for her, it was the library. And as of today, it was also her sanctuary.

Hermione slipped past the bookshelves and made her way to the small loveseat in the back western corner, where the sun streamed in in the afternoons.

Her classes were finished and she had some time before dinner.

Perfect for starting her classwork.

She pulled out her planner, quickly tapping it with her wand so that it would remain silent as she paged through it. Though she loathed to admit it, she actually agreed with Harry and Ron that the planner was annoying when it shouted in a shrill tone "_First dot your i's then cross your t's, then you may do as you please!"_

She had a two foot essay on animal to animal transfiguration she needed to start for McGonagall, another essay for Charms on the application of emotional charms on Muggles, and then a three foot Potion's essay on the practical and impractical uses of lacewing flies in certain kinds of advanced potions.

The last assignment gave her pause, and she found herself running her fingers over her own print of where she had written the assignment for his class, remembering his voice as he'd given them the assignment.

Once again, their shared kiss surfaced to her mind for what felt like the thousandth time.

She just wanted…

_Damn_, she thought to herself as she suddenly snapped her planner closed. _That's the problem. Neither of us knows what we want._

"Don't take it out on the planner," said a voice just in front of her.

She looked up to see a familiar red-headed female, and a sheepish smile crossed her lips.

"Hi, Ginny. Sorry…I didn't know that you were here."

Ginny simply shrugged and motioned for Hermione to scoot over slightly, and then plopped herself onto the cushions, propping her feet up on the small table in front of it. Hermione gave her a look, but Ginny shrugged it off, having become immune to it after her first two years at school.

"So…what's the problem?"

Hermione shrugged and avoided eye contact with the girl. For a Gryffindor, Ginny could be surprisingly Slytherin when getting information out of people.

"No problem. Just a bit frustrated, is all."

Ginny gave her a look, arching an eyebrow. It was a look that said that she didn't believe a single word of what Hermione had just said.

"Oh, really. Then you beat up on your things regularly, then? And your foul mood for the past few weeks has been what? A bit of frustration? This most recent week has been the worst…"

Hermione sighed, biting her lip, not wanting to tell the girl about what had happened between her and their illustrious Potions Master. _However_, she silently conceded, _Ginny _does _know what she's talking about when it comes to communication in relationships…maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask._

She glanced up at her friend, her teeth still worrying at her lip and then relented.

"Alright, alright! I'll tell you."

Ginny's eyes gleamed, obviously pleased at having won the battle, and leaned in slightly. Hermione began, being very careful in her words so as not to betray Severus.

"I like a particular someone, and that someone happens to like me as well…" She paused, thinking.

"…this someone and I aren't supposed to like each other, but we do anyway, and about a week ago, we kissed…" Ginny drew in a gasp of excitement. "…and we haven't talked since." At that, Ginny's face fell and her eyes narrowed.

"Well, there's your problem isn't it? You haven't talked about it!"

Hermione sighed in exasperation, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"It's not that simple, Ginny! He's…well, older…and I'm…look, it's just impossibly complicated, forget I even said anything about it, alright?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed even further, her lips thin as she glared at her friend.

"Forget? Hermione, this is serious! You can't just kiss a boy and then say nothing to him! Don't you know that that's a recipe for disaster? You have to talk to this boy now!" Hermione avoided her glare. "Fine, if you won't talk to him, I will. Who is he?"

At this, Hermione let out a sound half between a laugh and a strangled gasp. After a moment, she found her voice and turned her glare on the red-head.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, you will do no such thing! And don't even _think_ of trying to find out who it is!"

Ginny pulled back slightly at Hermione's words, properly scolded, her lips stretched into a frown.

"Well, I want to know what's going on at least…"

Hermione let out a huff of air and reached forward and grabbed one of her books, determined to start on her classwork, but Ginny continued to talk. Not directly at her, of course, but the inflection in her words was unmistakable.

"I mean, if he's younger I can't help you, but I know how to deal with older boys…"

Hermione snorted in her head. _Oh, he's older, alright…_

"And if he's in a different house, then of course that would make things complicated, but there are always ways to work around those sorts of things…"

_Oh, really? Then tell me, how do I deal with someone who's the Head of Slytherin?_

Ginny fell silent, looking at her hands, pretending to be examining her nails with focused intent, but then she suddenly bolted straight up from the loveseat and turned to face her friend, her eyes wide with comprehension.

"He's a Slytherin, isn't he!" she accused, and Hermione vainly attempted to deny it.

"N-No! Of course not! Whatever gave you that idea?"

But then Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I know that look…don't you dare lie to me! He's a Slytherin, isn't he?"

Hermione tried to hold her ground, but finally collapsed under the strength of her friend's glare and gave a small nod of her head.

Ginny grinned in triumph at having figured out more of the puzzle, and continued to grin as Hermione grabbed her hand and yanked her back down to the small couch, her eyes furtively glancing around the library, making sure that no one had heard her friend's outburst.

"Alright," she admitted. "Yes, he's a Slytherin. That's what makes it so complicated."

Ginny's slightly evil grin melted to a soft smile, and she gently pulled her hand from Hermione's grip and patted the top of it reassuringly.

"Don't worry…I know a thing or two about Slytherin boys…"

Hermione gave her a look, one eyebrow raised.

"What?" Ginny bit back at her look. "Harry wasn't my only love, you know. There were others before him." Hermione sighed, and Ginny continued. "Alright, here's how it goes. With a Gryffindor boy, you'd be in trouble because they're so arrogant, more so than Slytherin boys. With a Ravenclaw, you could reason with him, logical words and reasoning works with them…"

She paused, and then continued.

"With a boy from Hufflepuff, words would be meaningless and actions of loyalty more swaying…but then you have Slytherin boys."

She gave Hermione a devious grin.

"With Slytherin boys, use your cunning, any resources you can get your hands on, and sneak your way back into their good graces."

Hermione looked at Ginny in shock, so Ginny quickly explained her reasoning.

"Look, Hermione…Slytherins aren't insulted by devious and manipulative ways. In fact, the sneakier and more manipulative you are in getting their attention, the more likely they will want to snog you into next week, as well as gain their respect."

Hermione slowly thought this over, and dimly realized that her redheaded friend was right.

Ginny continued. "You just have to do it at the right _time_, that's the tricky part. And considering that it's been a _week_ since your incident, as you call it, you have to strike _now_."

The bushy-haired Gryffindor bit her lip and gave Ginny a look.

"Now? Really?"

Ginny gravely nodded. "Yes. Now. Really."

Hermione sighed and slumped back against the couch, her book resting in her lap, and she propped her feet up on the small table in front of them, not caring in the least about her notes, her classwork now the furthest thing from her mind.

"I…I suppose you're right, Ginny."

Ginny grinned.

"So _now_ are you going to tell me who it is?"

"No!"

And with that, she grabbed her books and assignments and left the library, heading to her room to do some planning.

The plan? Get Severus Snape to talk to her again.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 11?**


	12. A Woman of Action

**A.N. - A reviewer mentioned that I had some incongruites on who the Professor of Potions is...so I fixed it! Hope you enjoy this next chapter, I had a blast writing it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 - A Woman of Action<strong>

Hermione stormed up to her room, wracking her brain around what Ginny had just told her.

So…she had to make sure that was Slytherin in her ways of getting his attention. But the question still remained…what was she going to do?

Her mind kept on going to Potions class earlier that day, and she found herself even more confused. Severus wasn't even supposed to be teaching, but after the incident at the beginning of the year, where Ron had somehow gotten his hands on the Veritaserum, Slughorn had been suspended for negligence, so Snape had taken his old position back.

However, there seemed to be something suspicious about the suspension…

…It was supposed to be temporarily, but Hermione had her doubts about that particular bit of information. It was looking more and more permanent by the day.

She put her books at her desk as she entered her room and was unexpectedly hit with inspiration.

She had to go talk to Ron.

Closing her door behind her as she left, she went along the outer corridor to get to the door to the Gryffindor common room.

"Password?"

"_Volate incendire._"

The Fat Lady's portrait swung open, and Hermione quickly stepped through, making her way over to where she saw Ron playing wizard's chess with Dean Thomas.

As was usual for him, he was destroying his opponent. Hermione sighed to herself as she saw this. Why couldn't he just put his actually somewhat brilliant mind to work on things that were important? Like classwork?

She shrugged it off and quickly got his attention, her spine stiffening in her resolve. It was the first time she had spoken to him since…the incident.

"Ron…"

He looked up in surprise, and accidentally knocked over a bishop, and then turned to Dean. "See you in a minute, Dean, I've got to talk to Hermione, alright?"

The other boy nodded, seemingly relieved at the prospect of not having to play the red-headed boy any longer.

Hermione realized that Ron thought that the two of them were going to talk about the incident, but that wasn't why she needed to talk to him, so she quickly cut him off at the pass before he could gain any momentum.

"Ron, I was wondering if you had any Veritaserum left over from when…well, you know."

A slight pinkish tinge came across his cheeks and he shoved his hands in his pockets, not quite meeting her eye.

"N-No…of course not."

Hermione sighed in exasperation, and quickly explained as much as she safely could.

"Ron, this has nothing to do with what happened and everything to do with something called none-of-your-damn-business, alright? I need it, you don't, so whatever you have left, just hand it over, please…besides, you having it is a recipe for disaster. As we have already seen," she added.

She gave him a look, arching an eyebrow and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

He nodded.

"Give me a minute."

She nodded, and waited as he left the common room and bolted up the stairs to his dorm to grab the fateful potion.

About one minute later, as he had promised, he came down the stairs with the small vial in his hand and quickly handed it over to her, running his other hand through his hair, obviously embarrassed by the whole incident.

Hermione shrugged it off, but then said, "Look, Ron…I haven't quite forgiven you, but…" His eyes lit up and she was suddenly regretting using that word, however she forged ahead.

"_But_…I am starting to understand. Just, just let me have some more time, alright?"

He nodded and then turned, heading back up the stairs.

Once more, Hermione found herself sighing, and started to walk back through the common room, only to run into Ginny just as Hermione was about to walk out.

Ginny immediately saw that she had something in her hand, and quickly stepped up to the Head Girl and leaned in, whispering in her ear conspiratorially, a mischievous glint in the girl's eye that was decidedly Slytherin in nature.

"So…what do you have here? Something for your plan, I hope."

Ginny then winked, and Hermione rolled her eyes at how Ginny was behaving, but then gave the girl a small smile.

"Oh, nothing…just a little _Veritaserum_..."

Ginny's mouth gaped, her jaw dropped in shock, and Hermione quickly darted through the portrait hole into the hallway, heading back down to her room, taking small pleasure in the fact that she was one-up on her friend for once, instead of the other way around.

_Now_, she thought to herself as she closed her door behind her. _Time to make some plans…_

She thought of several ways of how she might be able to get it to him, but she knew that none of them would work, as he was extraordinarily careful about what he ate and drank.

Then, she had an idea…

…but she would need Ginny's help.

She inwardly groaned at that fact, realizing that she was going to have to lie to the girl even more about why she needed Ginny to do what she was going to do.

The plan could very easily fall apart if Hermione wasn't careful, but she vowed to herself to not let that happen. She would simply be as careful as she always was…and even _more_ so. If everything worked perfectly, Hermione would have Severus Snape talking to her in no time.

She grinned as she sat down and began the Potions assignment, no longer daunted by the hours of work that lay ahead of her.

It seemed she had some Slytherin in her after all…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 12?**


	13. To Catch A Slytherin

**Chapter 13 - To Catch A Slytherin**

Hermione had tried to come up with her plan, but after coming up with several possible scenarios and then realizing major flaws in every plan, she had given up.

To hell with Ginny's idea!

Being Slytherin to catch his attention was not going to work…she needed to be who she was. A Gryffindor.

After all, there must be something about her that Severus was attracted to besides the something physical that apparently only_ he_ saw. She might as well simply be herself in winning back his favor, as any other way might disappoint him.

With that in mind, she picked up the small vial and slipped it into her bag for the time being.

She didn't have Potions the next day, but the day after that, she did.

She cast a brief _Tempus_ and saw that it was already a little past midnight, a bit late for her to be going to bed, but she shrugged her shoulders.

Who cared if she was a little bit late to breakfast the next morning? With that in mind, she blissfully laid herself down under her sheets, and let herself fall into a deep and uninterrupted sleep, not a single dream crossing her mind.

* * *

><p>The next morning, she surprised herself by waking up before her alarm even went off.<p>

Grabbing her wand from the nightstand, she waved it at the small charmed book on the same nightstand. She'd made it a long time ago, and it had been better than a normal alarm…because it was three times as annoying as a regular one and would only go off if you used the proper counter-charm.

She pulled herself out of bed and dragged her body to her dresser, pulling out her proper uniform that sometimes annoyed her to no end.

Begrudgingly, she slid on her gray skirt and white shirt, along with the vest lined with her house colors and pulled her robes over the whole ensemble.

She had slept well, and her mind was actually clear on what she needed to do…she needed to talk to him.

Hermione had come to the conclusion the night before, and now was more certain than ever, that the only thing that she needed to do was to talk to him. He was good with words, as was she, and neither of them were very good with emotions, so it would most likely be easier to simply talk it out than to deal with it any other way.

She quickly finished dressing and grabbed her bag, determined to have her breakfast as quickly as possible so that she could figure out how to corner him.

As she sat at breakfast, she barely noticed the taste of the food, as she was too entirely distracted by what was going on inside of her own mind. The thoughts whirled around in endless circles, almost making her literally dizzy with the rapidity at which they moved, but she finally managed to quiet them down and come to a few safe conclusions and ideas that would be the safest. But, first of all, she needed to return the Verita…

That was it!

Quickly swallowing whatever it was that she had been chewing, she bolted from the table and rushed back up to her room, quickly undoing the wards and stepping inside.

"_Accio_ Veritaserum!"

It rushed across the room to her hand and as she looked down at it, Hermione smiled.

No, she wasn't going to use it on him…she was going to return it to him. It would be the perfect excuse to see him outside of his usual office hours, as well as creating the perfect opportunity to talk to him about what had happened between the two of them. And the beauty of it was that it was so simple. No complicated involvement of any outside people, risking the chance that it might go horribly wrong.

Originally, she had planned on returning the potion to McGonagall, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

She could talk to him… No.

She _would_ talk to him.

Determination in her stride, she made her way down to her first class of the day, Arithmancy, and slid the vial into her pocket, silently placing a protective spell over it as to ensure that it wasn't stolen or that it would accidentally fall out during the day.

The class started, but she found her attention not entirely focused on what was going on, her mind still on the fact that she was going to talk to him that day.

Deciding that she was far enough ahead that she didn't need to necessarily pay attention, she mentally reviewed the few scenarios that might occur…

She already knew what she was going to start off with. _"Professor Snape, I need to talk to you about…what happened between us…"_

However, it was the after that she was truly worried about. He would react in one of four ways. The first scenario, and the most likely to occur, was that he growled at her to leave his presence immediately and to not breathe a word of the incident to anyone.

The second scenario, in her mind, was less harsh, and it was where he would lift his head and give her one of his signature glares and then say to her, _"It was an accident, Miss Granger, nothing more…I expect to see you at the next appointed time we meet…"_ There was a distinct possibility of that happening, but then, of course, there were the last two scenarios in her mind, the third highly unlikely and the fourth an utterly fantastical imagining of her own mind.

The third scenario involved him standing from his chair, motioning for her to sit down and then very carefully explaining to her that though they had both acted on their mutual attraction towards each other, attraction was all that it merely was, and that, as adults, they could both move on, but possibly maintain a healthy friendship.

The last scenario, however, was something akin to soft-core porn…

She would walk in, he would stand and close the door behind her with a wave of his hand, and then they would meet each other in the middle of the room, kissing once more, hands roaming freely over each other's bodies, soft moaning and whispers of affection the only sounds in the room as they moved their way over to his desk, which he would then lift her up and place her on it, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist…

Hermione could see it in her head all too vividly, and she shifted in her chair as she felt her face flush slightly at her thoughts.

She discreetly glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, but everyone seemed too focused on Professor Vector to notice that she was uncomfortable.

She glanced around, making sure that no one noticed her, and silently cast _Tempus_, and saw that it was only nine-fifteen.

Professor Snape had office hours from three until five on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and dinner was at five-thirty…she would have to either wait until after dinner, or take the chance during the half-hour period that he had between his office hours and the evening meal.

Thinking it over carefully, she decided to take the risk and grab him just as his office hours ended.

The decision made, she turned her attention back to the lesson and took a few notes on some things that she might incorporate into her next experimental potion.

The rest of the day passed by infinitesimally slowly, but, soon enough, it was ten-till five.

She left the library quickly, almost forgetting to return the books she'd borrowed in her haste to make it to his office before he disappeared into his private quarters to do whatever it was that he did during his usual half-hour break before dinner.

She approached his door, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

Carefully, she lifted her hand…and then gently rapped on the door.

"Come in…"

Taking a deep, calming breath, she adjusted the strap of her bag, she pushed open the door…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 13?**


	14. Don't Speak

**Chapter 14 - Don't Speak**

Hermione stepped through the doorway and watched as his eyes barely glossed over her as she walked in and then snapped back to her, as he realized who was walking into his office.

"Miss Granger," he said, his voice low and unassuming, and was that a catch in his voice that she heard? Or was that just her imagination?

Feeling bold, she stepped up towards her desk, her hand plunging into her bag and withdrawing the small vial of Veritaserum. She placed it on his desk and waited for his reaction…well, for _any_ reaction other than the one that he'd already given her.

Finally, she said, "Professor…I thought that you deserved to have this back. As it was the cause of your….inconvenience."

She didn't trust herself to say anything more, but his eyes caught upon the small vial and his hand reached out and gently lifted it from the desk.

His eyes lifted from the desk and he was suddenly staring straight at her, and she could feel the spark from before. She could feel the spark that had been started more than a week ago, and found that it had not died, the flames of it being fanned just from one look.

Hermione felt as though all the air had just been sucked from the room.

She couldn't breathe.

Instead, she was falling into his eyes, and she knew that she had it bad.

This wasn't a passing crush, or a simple infatuation….it was _much_ deeper than that.

As their gazes were locked, she felt a tightening in her chest, as though a cord were squeezing around her chest and pulling tighter only when she locked eyes with him. She wanted to pull her gaze away but she couldn't. Though the Amortentia was long gone, as was the Veritaserum, and her own potion as well, it didn't seem to make a difference…

…the feelings were still there.

Just strong, just as intense.

She waited for him to say something, but it didn't seem he was going to say anything, either.

It was another waiting game, one she wasn't sure she could stand.

Suddenly, he stood from his chair, causing it to slide sharply across the floor, the legs scraping against the stone.

"Miss Granger," he echoed the words from earlier. His voice was slightly breathless, as though he'd been running, but she knew the sensation came from the same one that she was experiencing at that particular moment.

She licked her lips, nervously.

"Yes, sir?"

His eyes seemed to now focus on her mouth, as though invisibly following the trace of her tongue over her lower lip, and Hermione suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.

Almost as though suddenly realizing what his eyes had been doing, he pulled his gaze from her entirely, and turned his body slightly away from her, using his desk between the two of them as a shield to keep himself from doing anything that he just might regret.

"Miss Granger," he repeated a third time, but then gently corrected himself. "Hermione…"

She felt her chest tighten even further, and could hear her blood begin to pound in her ears as he walked around his desk. He twitched his fingers slightly and the door was now locked and warded…and they both became painfully aware of the fact that this was the first time that the two of them had been alone since…the incident.

He was standing less than a foot away from her, but it felt like miles.

She waited for it.

She waited for the scolding tone that would tell her that it would never happen, that their kiss was a mistake.

The best that she could hope for would be a gentle reminder that she was a student and that he was a teacher, as well as the fact that she was his apprentice, and that nothing could come of it. That he was flattered by her attentions, but that it was not possible.

Hermione inwardly braced herself for the inevitable pain, suddenly wondering why she had thought this confrontation a good idea.

He took a step forward and she had to physically restrain herself from taking a step backward in response. He took another calculated step and her heart was no longer pounding in her ears, but thundering, and she could hear nothing else, feeling as though her feet were lead weights, leaving her unable to run away from the situation.

His arm moved forward and she felt a spark down to her center as she felt his hand touch her shoulder.

"Hermione," he repeated in a low tone that had her trembling under his touch, leaving her disoriented.

What was he going to say?

She hadn't prepared herself as well as she thought she had and she was frightened out of her mind as to what might happen.

In a sudden movement, she felt her books being pulled from her arms, from where she'd been holding them protectively against her chest, and then felt two strong arms drawing her forward, one arm going firmly around her shoulders, the other across her back, holding her against his warm chest.

Was he…hugging her? Wait, what was this? What was he…?

"Hermione," he whispered into her ear and she shivered, slowly reacting, her arms hesitantly wrapping around his waist. "I'm so sorry."

She was confused, yet again. What was he sorry for? Why was he hugging her?

Finally, she found her voice.

"Um...what are you sorry for, exactly, sir?"

"Severus," he gently corrected her, and then pulled back slightly, moving his fingers into her hair, steadily holding her gaze, and she felt herself melting once more. "Please call me Severus, Hermione."

She simply nodded, and felt her body react when he ran a finger down the side of her face, tracing down to her lips.

"Hermione…I'm sorry for a great many things. Mostly, I'm sorry that you must care for a man who…a man who…" She waited for the words. A man who had no real feelings for her. A man who could not care for her. A man who didn't want anything to do with her. A man who- "A man who does not know how to deal with someone wanting him, even though he wants her just as badly."

At this, her mind began spinning wildly in confusion, more so than before.

"Wait, w-what are you saying...?"

A smirk crossed the corner of his lips, the closest thing to a smile that she'd ever seen on him.

"That I have no experience in being wanted by anyone, and so I honestly have no idea how to react to this…situation."

At hearing this, she slowly figured out what he was saying, and before she could catch it, a soft laugh escaped her. She saw his look and how he started to pull back, but she captured his arms in her hands and quickly reassured him that he wasn't being laughed at.

"Sir…I mean, Severus," she quickly corrected herself, "I'm not laughing at you. I'm…well, I'm laughing at my own stupidity. I…well, I should have realized."

She gave him a gentle look and reached up with a hand and returned his gentle gesture with one of her own, her fingers brushing against his forehead, moving a few stray strands to the side.

"Neither of us knows how to react in this situation, Severus. It's new to _both_ of us…and neither of us dealt with it well."

His gaze softened and she continued.

"Honestly, this is about the best reaction that I could have hoped for. I was honestly expecting a scathing dismissal from you, some comment about you being a teacher and I your student, or, at best, ignorance that anything had ever even happened. Instead, I got…" She motioned absently in the air with her other hand, and smiled.

"It's more than I could have hoped for…"

He then gave her an actual smile and she felt her breath leave her all over again at the sight.

Good lord, that man needed to smile more, he was stunning.

And then he did something she never expected.

He leaned in…

And he kissed her himself.

She was melting…and it felt amazing. There was a slow simmer about this kiss that seemed to have a promise held in it, and it was sparking a warm feeling in her chest. As his lips caressed hers, all she could think of was how wonderful it felt, but in the back of her mind she was afraid that it wouldn't last.

They slowly pulled back and a watery smile crossed Hermione's lips.

"This is all it can be right now, can't it?"

He gave her a look.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

She tried not to let it get to her, but she felt her heart rise to her throat, and she had to take a deep breath to keep the tears from showing through. She let herself lean against him, her head resting on his chest, and his arms tightened around her for a brief moment.

Feeling bold, she asked, "But what about…after?"

He pulled back from the embrace and gave her a look. "You mean…after…?"

She gave him a pointed look.

"After school…after my apprenticeship…"

His gaze pulled away from hers, and she felt her heart fall slightly, but then he said…

"That is a distinct possibility."

A grin started at the corner of her mouth and then stretched across her lips. She then quickly stretched to her toes and placed a soft kiss on his surprised lips and then turned back towards the door, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

She smiled at the look of surprise on his face, and she winked at him.

"See you in class, Professor," she said, opening the door and leaving him standing in the middle of his office, looking entirely confused.

He stared at the empty doorway for a while after she'd left…and another smile stretched across his face, though it was more predatory than the one that she'd seen him give her before. Yes. After. After it was all finished, she would be _his_.

With the smirk permanently affixed to his lips, he waved a hand, wandlessly slamming the door closed, and then swept back behind his desk, sitting down to grade papers.

Oh, yes…

…she would be _his_.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 14?**


End file.
